# US 10,313,849 B2 · Method and system for family plan sharing of wireless services > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,313,849 B2 - Document ID: US10313849B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/215,980 - Filed: 2018-12-11 - Published: 2019-04-11 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2015-02-20 - Assignees: TracFone Wireless, Inc. - Applicants: TracFone Wireless, Inc. - Inventors: John Collier - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10313849B2 ## CPC - H04W 4/24: Accounting or billing - G06Q 20/322: {Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]} - H04M 15/09: {Third party charged communications} - H04M 15/765: {Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices} - H04M 15/80: {Rating or billing plans; Tariff determination aspects} - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) ## Abstract A system and process of sharing a wireless surface allotment in a wireless network includes implementing a metering system to meter wireless service usage by users of the wireless network and tracking wireless usage by a plurality of wireless devices associated with the metering system. The system and process further includes receiving a share request to reallocate the respective wireless service allotment for at least two of the plurality of wireless devices, forwarding modification instructions to the metering system, requesting confirmation from the metering system that the modification instructions have been received, and modifying the respective wireless service allotments for the at least two wireless devices in response to receiving confirmation from the metering system. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A process of sharing a wireless service allotment of a wireless service between a plurality of wireless users, the wireless service being provided by a wireless network, the process comprising: implementing a metering system to meter wireless service usage of a plurality of wireless devices of the wireless network; tracking wireless usage by the plurality of wireless devices with the metering system, the wireless usage comprising at least one of the following: voice wireless service, data wireless service, and messaging wireless service; receiving a share request to the metering system from a user device to reallocate a wireless service allotment for at least two of the plurality of wireless devices, the share request being generated and transmitted to the metering system by one of the following: a web portal or a wireless application; determining with the metering system whether the share request from the user device to reallocate the wireless service allotment for at least two of the plurality of wireless devices is in compliance by comparing the share request to the wireless service allotment remaining for the at least two of the plurality of wireless devices; forwarding modification instructions to reallocate the wireless service allotment for the at least two of the plurality of wireless devices to the metering system when the share request is in compliance; requesting confirmation from the metering system that the modification instructions to reallocate the wireless service allotment for the at least two of the plurality of wireless devices have been received; and modifying the wireless service allotments to reallocate the wireless service allotment for the at least two of the plurality of wireless devices with the metering system for the at least two of the plurality of wireless devices in response to receiving confirmation from the metering system, wherein the metering system is implemented at least in part in a network; and wherein the share request to the metering system from the user device to reallocate a wireless service allotment for the at least two of the plurality of wireless devices comprises instructions sent as one of the following: data from the user device and non-data from the user device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The process according to claim 1, wherein the share request to the metering system from the user device to reallocate a wireless service allotment for the at least two of the plurality of wireless devices comprises instructions sent as data from the user device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The process according to claim 1, wherein the share request to the metering system from the user device to reallocate a wireless service allotment for the at least two of the plurality of wireless devices comprises instructions sent as non-data from the user device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The process according to claim 1, wherein the metering system is further implemented in at least one of the plurality of wireless devices. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The process according to claim 1, wherein the metering system is further implemented at least in part in the wireless network. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The process according to claim 1 wherein the metering system is implemented in at least one of the plurality of wireless devices, the wireless network, and a network. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The process according to claim 1, wherein the receiving a share request comprises receiving a share request from one of the plurality of wireless devices. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The process according to claim 1, wherein the receiving a share request comprises receiving a share request from an Internet-based account of one of the plurality of wireless devices via the web portal. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The process according to claim 1, wherein the receiving a share request comprises receiving a share request from the wireless application associated with one of the plurality of wireless devices. ### Claim 10 A wireless system configured to share a wireless service allotment of a wireless service between a plurality of wireless devices, the wireless service allotment being provided by a wireless network comprising: a metering system configured to measure and track a wireless service usage of a plurality of wireless devices of the wireless network, the wireless service usage comprising at least one of the following: voice wireless service, data wireless service, and messaging wireless service; the metering system being further configured to receive a share request from a user device to reallocate a wireless service allotment for at least two of the plurality of wireless devices, the share request being generated and transmitted to the metering system by one of the following: a web portal or a wireless application; the metering system further configured to determine whether the share request from the user device to reallocate the wireless service allotment for at least two of the plurality of wireless devices is in compliance by comparing the share request to the wireless service allotment remaining for the at least two of the plurality of wireless devices; and the metering system being further configured to modify the wireless service allotments for the at least two of the plurality of wireless devices when the share request is in compliance and in response to receiving confirmation from the at least two of the plurality of wireless devices, wherein the metering system is implemented at least in part in a network; and wherein the metering system is configured to modify respective wireless service allotments in response to modification instructions sent as one of the following: data from the user device and non-data from the user device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The wireless system according to claim 10, wherein the metering system is configured to modify respective wireless service allotments in response to modification instructions sent as data from the user device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The wireless system according to claim 10, wherein the metering system is configured to modify respective wireless service allotments in response to modification instructions sent as non-data from the user device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The wireless system according to claim 10, wherein the metering system is further implemented in at least one of the plurality of wireless devices. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The wireless system according to claim 10, wherein the metering system is further implemented at least in part in the wireless network. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The wireless system according to claim 10 wherein the metering system is implemented in at least one of the plurality of wireless devices, the wireless network, and a network. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The wireless system according to claim 10, wherein the metering system is configured to receive a share request that comprises receiving a share request from a one of the plurality of wireless devices. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The wireless system according to claim 10, wherein the metering system is configured to receive a share request that comprises receiving a share request from an Internet-based account of one of the plurality of wireless devices via the web portal. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The wireless system according to claim 10, wherein the metering system is configured to receive a share request that comprises receiving a share request from the wireless application associated with one of the plurality of wireless devices.